It didn't take me long to pack. I decided to leave the Minotaur horn in my cabin, which left me only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack Grover had found for me.

The camp store loaned me one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. These coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron told us, but Olympians never used less than pure gold. Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions-whatever that meant. He gave Hinata and me each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded us. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally. After hearing that, Hinata took my nectar and ambrosia and stuffed it in her bag.

She said "It makes sense for the person who has some medical knowledge to carry them."

She was also bringing her ninja knife, which she never leaves home without. She carried extra clothes and a tooth brush like me. Annabeth came and gave her a very thick book on every monster, God and etc she knew, written in Ancient Greek, to help us on our quest. I was sure that if Hinata couldn't memorize it, she could just throw it at a monster.

Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes.

We waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus.

Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the surfer dude I'd seen when I was recovering in the sick room. According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so I could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck.

"This is Argus," Chiron told me. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things." I heard footsteps behind us.

Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.

"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you."

Hinata stepped back slowly, looked at him cautiously. It's been that way ever since Luke kissed her hand.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told me. "And I thought ... um, maybe you could use these."

He handed me the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. They even smelled kind of normal.

Hinata forgot about her caution, picked up one of the shoes "Are these what I think they are?!"

Luke grinned, "You better believe it, sweetness! Maia!"

White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling me so much, I dropped the one I was holding. Hinata let go of hers and the shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

"Wow!" She said

"Awesome!" Grover said.

Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days..." His expression turned sad.

I didn't know what to say. It was cool enough that Luke had come to say good-bye. I'd been afraid he might resent me for getting so much attention the last few days. But here he was giving me a magic gift... It made me blush almost as much as Annabeth does when she's around him.

"Hey, man," I said. "Thanks."

"Listen, Percy, Hinata..." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you guys. So just ... kill some monsters for me, okay?"

We shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns. As he got close to Hinata, she stepped back again, giving him a suspicious look.

He pouted "What? All I want to do is give you a good-bye hug."

She narrowed her eyes, as if she was trying to find any lie. She sighed and went up to hug him. I could see he was thinking of something by that mischievous look in his face. Before I could warn her, Luke planted a kiss on her cheek.

"KYAAA!" She shrieked, pushing him away.

"Hey!" I shouted

He just smiled proudly "It's for good luck!"

After Luke was gone, I stood there with different emotions flowed through me. Ever since we came here, I feel like Luke has tried almost every trick in the book to impress Hinata and to be honest, it was really getting on my last nerve. He says he's just being nice, but there is a thing about being too nice.

"I'm gonna kill him!" She hissed, rubbing her kissed cheek.

I'm almost tempted to help her with that.

I heard Grover hiding his chuckles behind his hands.

I picked up the flying shoes and had a sudden bad feeling. I looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"

He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air ... that would not be wise for you."

I nodded, disappointed, but then I got an idea. "Hinata, would you-"

"No way! I want nothing that pervert gives. He'll probably read into it. Besides, as long as that bolt is missing, I'm not safe in the air either."

She made some good points.

"Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"

His eyes lit up. "Me?"

Pretty soon we'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch.

"Maia!" he shouted.

He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down like tiny broncos.

"Practice," Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!"

"Aaaaa!" Grover went flying sideways down the hill like a possessed lawn mower, heading toward the van.

Before Hinata and I could follow, Chiron caught our arms. "I should have trained you both better," he said. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason-they all got more training."

"Chiron, it's ok. I've been trained before, maybe not Greek training but it'll still help." She said

"Even so, I just-"

"That's okay. I just wish-"

I stopped myself because I was about to sound like a brat. I was wishing my dad had given me a cool magic item to help on the quest, something as good as Luke's flying shoes, or Annabeth's invisible cap. Neither me or Hinata got any weapons.

"What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you two get away without these. Percy, you first."

He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents.

"Gee," I said. "Thanks."

"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."

I remembered the field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, when I'd vaporized Mrs. Dodds and saved Hinata. Chiron had thrown me a pen that turned into a sword. Could this be ... ?

I took off the cap, and the pen grew longer and heavier in my hand. In half a second, I held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. It was the first weapon that actually felt balanced in my hand.

"Wow" Hinata muttered

"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told me. "Its name is Anaklusmos."

"'Riptide,'" I translated, surprised the Ancient Greek came so easily.

"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."

I looked at the wickedly sharp blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?"

"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."

"Good to know."

"Now recap the pen."

I touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. I tucked it in my pocket, a little nervous, because I was famous for losing pens at school.

"You can't," Chiron said.

"Can't what?"

"Lose the pen," he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it."

I was wary, but I threw the pen as far as I could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass. "It may take a few moments," Chiron told me. "Now check your pocket."

Sure enough, the pen was there.

"Okay, that's extremely cool," I admitted.

"I wish most of the pens I lend you could do that." Hinata said

I grunted "Are you still holding that over my head? I thought you got over that."

"I'm not mad anymore, but thinking about it annoys me."

"I said I was sorry! It's not that big of a deal."

"It was a 5k gold pen you lost! Those don't just grow on trees, ya know!."

I kept my mouth closed after that because I realized I lost a pen that was worth at least half a year of rent for my apartment.

"Children, we are getting off task here." Chiron chuckled

"Sorry" we said

He reached into his coat pocket again and pulled a necklace and a ring. The necklace was made of pure gold and had a bow with an arrow in charm hanging off the chain. It was gorgeous .The ring was a simple but beautiful silver ring with a pink heart shape gem in the center. My pen looked like trash compared to them.

Hinata looked like whether she was thinking about accepting them or throwing them away.

"Chiron, I-I just..."

"My dear, I understand you still have a great dislike of your parents" He said gently "but like I have said before they have their reasons. Apollo gave these to me when he told me about you. These weapons will serve you well."

She sighed heavily "Well...I guess I can use them."

Taking the necklace and ring, she give him a stern look "But this doesn't mean I'll accept them!"

She places the necklace around her neck and the ring on her middle finger "So how do they work?'

"Simply tag on the charm on the necklace."

She did what he said and right before our eyes the charm grow in size and into an actually bow. Unlike my sword, the bow was golden and it seem to suit her perfectly. Except...

"Where are the arrows?" I asked

"It doesn't come with arrows."

"Huh?" That was the only logical thing I could say. I mean what's the point of giving someone a bow if you're not going to give them arrows?

Hinata looked at bow careful before checking her surroundings. I saw her looking a target that was left behind from the archery class. She held the bow in front of her and started pulling its string.

What happened next answered my question.

As she pulled the string, a golden arrow appeared out of nowhere. She let go and naturally it hit it's target.

Chiron looked at the target with an impressed smirk and muttered "You definitely are his daughter."

He turned to her "And to return it to the way it was, hold it to your neck."

As soon as she did, the bow disappeared and the necklace reappeared on her neck.

All I could say was "Awesome"

She took the charm into her hand and stared at it, then up at Chiron "Does it have a name?"

He gently smiled "He hoped you'd name it."

"Haruki"

"That's Japanese, right?" I asked

She nodded "It means living light."

Chiron nodded in approval "An excellent name for it. Now your ring works the same as Annabeth's cap. All you need to do is run your finger over the gem and you'll be invisible. Do it a second time and you'll be visible again."

"Leta"

He paused for a moment, shocked by what she said "You...wish to name it after a Titan?"

She shrugged her shoulders "It fits, after all the name means 'hidden one'. So I thought the name was appropriate."

"I...suppose so."

"But what if a mortal sees us pulling out our weapons?"

Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy."

"Mist?"

"Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references to the stuff. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality."

I put Riptide back in my pocket.

For the first time, the quest felt real. I was actually leaving Half-Blood Hill. I was heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. (Chiron said cell phones were traceable by monsters; if we used one, it would be worse than sending up a flare.) I had no weapon stronger than a sword to fight off monsters and reach the Land of the Dead.

"Chiron ..." I said. "When you say the gods are immortal... I mean, there was a time before them, right?"

"Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age."

"So what was it like ... before the gods?"

Chiron pursed his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born."

"So he got punished for helping humans? Oh that's real fair." Hinata said sarcastically

"But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So ... even if we failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?"

Chiron gave us a melancholy smile. "No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure end-less pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny."

"Our destiny ... assuming we know what that is."

"Relax," Chiron told me. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you two may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."

"Relax," I said. "I'm very relaxed."

"Then why do you look like you're about to pass out?" My best friend asked

I didn't answer her, she sighed and took my hand in hers and squeezed gently.

"Come on" She smiled as she eyes shined "Our journey awaits."

In that instant, I knew as long as she was there, everything would work out.

"Yeah"

When we got to the bottom of the hill, I looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horseman form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send off by your typical centaur.

Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Hinata and Grover sitting next to me as if we were normal carpoolers. After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seemed like a fantasy. I found myself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall.

"So far so good," I told Hinata. "Ten miles and not a single monster."

Without looking up with from the book Annabeth gave her, she smacked me upside my head.

"Oww! What was that for?!"

"Are you trying to jinx us? When people say that, something bad always happens."

She glanced at me "Remember our last few field trips?"

I thought back to our trips together and realized she was right, I would say something like that before disaster happens. It's a flaw I really need to fix.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. I was getting bored of looking out the window. I turned to look at Hinata and as I stared at her, I could feel my cheeks getting warm. Even without the jewelry and the dress, she still looked beautiful.

"Perce?"

It looked like she still had her makeup on.

"Perce..."

I couldn't help but think she looked more beautiful without that stuff on her face.

"Percy!"

I jumped as the loud voice brought me out of my thoughts. "H-Huh?"

"Finally you snapped out of it. I wanted to know if you needed something."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because you wouldn't stop staring at me."

Now my cheek felt hot. She caught me staring at her!

I tried finding an excuse "I-It's your face."

"My face?"

"Yeah..."

She thought for a second but realizing what I meant and scowled down at the book "It's just a stupid blessing."

"A blessing?"

"When I saw what had happen to me after I passed out, I immediately went to take everything off. The clothes, shoes and jewelry were no problem but my hair and makeup were impossible!"

"Impossible, how?"

"No matter how many times I cut my hair, it would go back to this length!" She complained, showing me her shoulder length hair "But the make up is the worse! I've tried rubbing it out, washing it out, heck I've tried slapping it off, but nothing worked!"

"So what are you going to do?"

"Apparently, I can't do anything about it. Before I went to pack, I ran into one of Aphrodite's kids..."

Her half siblings I thought

"One of the nice ones, thankful. She told me when Aphrodite claims one of her children, she gives them her blessing, meaning she gives them a makeover. The camper said that there was nothing I could do, I would just have to wait for it to wear out."

"How long does that take?" I asked

"It varies. For some only a day or three. But the lucky ones the longest was 10 days."

The night of the game was about 5 days ago, so that means...

"You've got 5 more days to go."

She sighed, rubbing her face "I hope it ends sooner than that. I don't feel like me when I have this on."

"Yeah, you look better without it on." I thought aloud

"What?"

"N-Nothing!"

"But..."

"Really! I said nothing!"

In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at me.

Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain.

Argus dropped us at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from my mom and Gabe's apartment. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with my and Hinata's picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY AND THIS GIRL?

I ripped it down before Hinata and Grover could notice.

Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot.

I thought about how close I was to my old apartment. On a normal day, my mom would be home from the candy store by now. Smelly Gabe was probably up there right now, playing poker, not even missing her.

Grover shouldered his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction I was looking. "You want to know why she married him, Percy?"

I stared at him. "Were you reading my mind or something?"

"Just your emotions." He shrugged. "Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?"

I nodded, wondering what else Grover might've forgotten to tell me.

"Your mom married Gabe for you," Grover told me. "You call him 'Smelly,' but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura... Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven't been near him for a week."

"Thanks," I said. "Where's the nearest shower?"

"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. In fact it's been covering Hinata too! Because you and her hang out so much, the smell covers her too. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you and Hinata probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy if that makes you feel any better."

It didn't, but I forced myself not to show it. I'll see her again, I thought. She isn't gone.

I wondered if Grover could still read my emotions, mixed up as they were. I was glad he and Hinata were with me, but I felt guilty that I hadn't been straight with them (well at least Grover, Hinata probably figured it out). I hadn't told them the real reason I'd said yes to this crazy quest.

The truth was, I didn't care about retrieving Zeus's lightning bolt, or saving the world, or even helping my father out of trouble. The more I thought about it, I resented Poseidon for never visiting me, never helping my mom, never even sending a lousy child-support check. He'd only claimed me because he needed a job done.

All I cared about was my mom. Hades had taken her unfairly, and Hades was going to give her back.

You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, the Oracle whispered in my mind. You will fail to save what matters most in the end.

Shut up, I told it.

The rain kept coming down.

We got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Hinata was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. I wasn't too bad myself.

The game ended when I tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, our Hacky Sack disappeared core, stem, and all.

Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but Hinata and I were too busy cracking up.

Finally the bus came. As we stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favorite school cafeteria delicacy enchiladas.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."

But I could tell it wasn't nothing. I started looking over my shoulder, too.

I was relieved when we finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. We stowed our backpacks. Hinata kept twisting the ring on her finger.

As the last passengers got on, Hinata clamped her hand onto my knee. "Perce, we've got trouble."

An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and my heart skipped a beat.

It was Mrs. Dodds. Older, more withered, but definitely the same evil face. I scrunched down in my seat, pulling Hinata with me.

"Oh damn!" She whispered, her face turning pale "She brought her sisters!"

Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds-same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers.

They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves.

The bus pulled out of the station, and we headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long," I said, trying to keep my voice from quivering. "I thought Annabeth said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."

"She said if we're lucky," Hinata said. "And as usual, we're obviously not."

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"

"Just stay calm guys," Hinata said, obviously thinking hard. "Those three old hag are The Furies. Known to be the worst monsters in the Underworld. Not a problem. Not a problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover moaned.

"A back exit?" she suggested.

There wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, we were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," I said. "Will they?"

"Remember what Chiron told," Hinata reminded me. "They won't see what's really happening do to the Mist."

"But they'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?"

She thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on their help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof ... ?"

We hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain.

Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the restroom."

"So do I," said the second sister.

"So do I," said the third sister.

They all started coming down the aisle.

"We don't have a choice," Hinata said. "Percy, take my ring."

"What?"

"Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."

"Are you crazy?! They're after you too!"

"Does it look like I care?! Listen I can hold my own, just worry about yourself."

"But you guys-"

"Grover, while I distract them, you get away and follow Percy."

"No way, I'm your protector! I'm suppose to be protecting you."

"I'm not arguing with you two about this!"

"I can't just leave you."

"You can and you will!" Hinata strongly said. "Now, Go!"

My hands trembled. I felt like a coward, but I took the ring and put it on.

When I looked down, my body wasn't there anymore.

I started creeping up the aisle. I managed to get up ten rows, then duck into an empty seat just as the Furies walked past.

Mrs. Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at me. My heart was pounding. Apparently she didn't see anything. She and her sisters kept going.

I was free. I made it to the front of the bus. We were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. I was about to press the emergency stop button when I heard hideous wailing from the back row.

The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same, I guess those couldn't get any uglier- but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.

The Furies surrounded Grover and Hinata, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?"

The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right.

"You won't find him!" Hinata yelled. "He's gone!"

"Tell us and it will be quick and painless, darling." Mrs. Dodds hissed

"Forget it! Now back off!" She demanded

The strange thing was they actually listened, a bit hesitant but still backed away.

Hinata took that chance and pushed Grover away from the sisters and into the aisle.

"Go, Grover!"

"No! I can't just-"

"Shut up and run now!"

His bottom lip was quivering and he looked ready to cry but did what she said.

He ran down the aisle, I grabbed him when got close enough.

"AA-"

"Grover, it's me!"

"Percy, she...they're gonna..."

"The satyr is getting away!" One of the sister hissed

"Forget him! It's the girl and boy we want!" Mrs Dodds hissed angrily "Now where is it?"

"I already told you, he's not here!"

"Tell us!"

"Never!"

The Furies raised their whips.

Hinata drew her bronze knife. "Bring it on!"

What I did next was so impulsive and dangerous I should've been named ADHD poster child of the year.

The bus driver was distracted, trying to see what was going on in his rearview mirror.

"Grover, hang onto something!"

"Wait! What are you-"

Still invisible, I grabbed the wheel from him and jerked it to the left. Everybody howled as they were thrown to the right, and I heard what I hoped was the sound of three Furies smashing against the windows.

"Hey!" the driver yelled. "Hey-whoa!"

We wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind us.

We careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins.

Somehow the driver found an exit. We shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to our left, the Hudson River to our right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river.

Another great idea: I hit the emergency brake.

The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him. Grover and I stepped into the driver's seat and let them pass.

The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Hinata while she waved her knife and yelled in Japanese, telling them to back off.

I looked at the open doorway. I was free to go, but I couldn't...

"Percy, we can't just leave her!" Grover frantically whispered

No, I'm not leaving her. I took off the invisible ring. "Hey!"

The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at me, and the exit suddenly seemed like an excellent idea. Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle, just as she used to do in class, about to deliver my F- math test. Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather.

Her two ugly sisters hopped on top of the seats on either side of her and crawled toward me like huge nasty lizards.

"Perseus Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere farther south than Georgia. "You and the girl have offended the gods. You shall die first."

"I liked you better as a math teacher," I told her.

She growled.

Grover moved beside me with a tin can as his only weapon.

Hinata moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening.

I took the ballpoint pen out of my pocket and uncapped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double- edged sword.

The Furies hesitated.

Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again.

"Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."

"Nice try," I told her.

"Percy, look out!" Himata cried.

Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around my sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at me.

My hand felt like it was wrapped in molten lead, but I managed not to drop Riptide. I stuck the Fury on the left with its hilt, sending her toppling backward into a seat. I turned and sliced the Fury on the right. As soon as the blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust. Hinata round kicked Mrs. Dodds, making her lose her balance and fall backwards while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands.

"Ow!" he yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!"

The Fury I'd hilt slammed came at me again, talons ready, but I swung Riptide and she broke open like a piñata.

Mrs. Dodds was trying to get off the floor. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Hinata held her down while Grover got Mrs. Dodds's legs tied up in her own whip. Finally they both shoved her backward into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have room to flap her bat wings, so she kept falling down.

"Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!"

"Braccas meas vescimini!" I yelled.

I wasn't sure where the Latin came from. I think it meant "Eat my pants!"

Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of my neck.

"We need to leave!" Hinata yelled at me, while grabbing her bag. "Now!" I didn't need any encouragement.

We rushed outside and found the other passengers wan-dering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped my photograph before I could recap my sword.

"Percy's bags and mine!" Grover realized. "We left our-"

BOOOOOM!

The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told me Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead.

"Forget your bags! We need to go!" Hinata said. "She's calling more of her comrades! We have to get out of here!"

We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness ahead.